Trust's maternity care 'exemplary', say inspectors

A hospital trust has seen "widespread improvements" in its maternity and emergency care after being told to improve by inspectors.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out unannounced visits to check on improvements it told the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust to make previously.

Inspectors visited maternity services at Furness General Hospital, Westmorland General Hospital and Royal Lancaster Infirmary, and urgent and emergency services at Furness General Hospital and Lancaster Royal Infirmary.

All maternity services were rated "good" with staff providing "exemplary care", going "above and beyond to ensure women and their babies were well cared for", they said.

In maternity services, inspectors said women were given the opportunity to speak to staff at Royal Lancaster Infirmary about their birthing experience, especially if the experience was not what they had wanted or expected.

Leaders had made improvement for people who had had a stroke to ensure they got access to treatment quicker.

But some A&E waiting areas were not considered suitable and people sometimes experienced delays being seen by specialists.

There were also understaffing issues in the paediatric part of A&E, inspectors found.

Maternity staff at Westmorland General Hospital actively listened to information about women who were most likely to experience inequality in care outcomes and supported their treatment, the CQC said.

People attending A&E at Furness General Hospital scored above average in the national patient survey for how staff communicated with people and how they were treated with dignity and respect.

Chris Storton, CQC deputy director of operations in the north-west of England, said: "We were encouraged to see widespread improvements across maternity care.

"We saw staff providing exemplary care who went above and beyond to ensure women and their babies were well cared for.

"Leaders and staff should feel proud of the changes they've made and the positive impact these changes have had on people using services."

The overall trust rating remains as requires improvement.

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